The Journey of the Champion
by TheMythWriter
Summary: When Ash saved and befriended an infant Dratini that was larger than it should be, the future of the world changed along with the fate of the Chosen One. Ash is a better trainers, and the whole Pokeverse has been updated with more difficult challenges. Smart Ash.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I am writing for the whole story at once: I do not own Pokémon Anime, Manga or Games. This a clearly non-profit venture which I wrote to give the Pokémon lovers a story where Ash has a Brain with more than two brain cells to rub together.

**AN- I want to make these points clear:**

**Ash will not get Pikachu. No amount of flames or pleas will change this decision. **

**Ash will take time to train, and not jump from gym to gym and be humiliated like he was in canon.**

**Ash will be a better trainer. I will give him at least one or two Legendary Pokémon for each region. Brandon, Tobias, all have multiple Legendaries, so why not Ash?**

**He will be a much more competent trainer, and will catch many more Pokémon.**

**Many of the irrelevant side-stories will be ignored. They are frankly disgusting.**

**I do not like Misty. If she will be there, then as a very minor character or will be used for bashing.**

**I will try to follow science and logic. One man hit by a debilitating Pokémon attack will be severely injured, not just dazed as shown in anime.**

Thanks for reading my story. I hope it please you.

**Chapter 1**

It was peaceful day in the little town of Pallet, set in the outskirts of the Kanto Region and home to the world famous professor, Professor Samuel Oak, who was well known for his research in the field of interactions between Pokémon and their trainers. On this day, a six- nearly seven year old Ash Ketchum was playing in the outskirts of the town, near the small forest outside the sleepy town. Ash loved each and every type of Pokémon and his ambition was to be a Pokémon Master. He came near the edge of the forest regularly, sometimes moving a small distance inside the forest and had befriended most of the wild Pokémon of the area, consisting of Pidgey and Rattatta.

Today Ash had gotten carried away in his games with the wild Pokémon, and was late for his dinner. When Ash realized this, he bid a hurried good bye to his friends and started to run from the small clearing in the jungle a fair bit away from the town. It was after five minutes of running that Ash realized he was in an unfamiliar part of the forest. Concerned and more than a little scared, he started running around as quickly as he could to find his way, but only got himself hopelessly lost. Just as tears started to fall, he heard a gurgling sound, and ran in that direction till he came upon a river. Realizing it as the river which flowed just to the South of Pallet Town, his tears vanished as he joyously started following the river, It was a few minutes later that he heard a distressed call up ahead and started to race ahead, intent on help the distressed Pokémon or person, after running for a couple of minutes, he came upon the distressed Pokémon, a blue snakelike creature with small wing-like ears. It was about 6 ft long, and looked injured and distressed.

Ash immediately ran towards the serpent, and tried to check it over so that he could see the injuries, but was batted away by its tail. Ash tumbled away due to the unexpected strike, but immediately got back up, and slowly walked towards the Pokémon, trying to calm it. "Calm down, calm down, I will help you, calm down." Soothing down the Pokémon, he walked up to it and tried to comfort it by patting its head. He checked over the Pokémon to see that it had some bite and scratch marks as well as a few bruises. Concerned, he tried to ask as comfortingly as possible as he slowly tried to lift the Pokémon, who was quite heavy for a 7 year old.

After he had managed to successfully lift the Pokémon, he whispered, "I see that you have been hurt. I can take you someone who can help. Do you want to go with me?" He sweat dropped when the snake simply continued crying while also nuzzling him. Carefully, he started to walk slowly towards the Town, reaching the small and restive place after about fifteen minutes. The tiny dragon Pokémon had fallen asleep during the walk, nuzzling the young human. Ash walked up to the Lab of Professor Oak, and clumsily managed to knock on the door, hard. The door opened in a couple of minutes, and a white-haired old man opened the door without taking notice of Ash. He spoke, "Hello, how can I hel- My god, Ash, where did you find such a large Dratini?" Ash replied, "I found this Pokémon injured in the woods. I didn't know it was called a Dratini. But professor, it is hurt, can you heal it?"

The Professor immediately ushered the young boy inside, and made him lay the snake-like Pokémon on a healing machine that was inside his laboratory. The old Pokémon professor scanned the injured Dratini, and after looking at the screen for a few seconds, informed the boy, "You did well in bringing the Pokémon here my boy. She is an infant Pokémon, and would have most certainly died from the wounds had she been left in the wild." Ash gave a short, horrified gasp, which, when the Professor saw, immediately caused him to reassure the young boy. He said, "Don't worry Ash, since you brought her here, she would be healed by tomorrow morning. As of now, she is suffering from some bites, a few scratches and some pretty benign infections." Ash looked extremely relived, before the Professor continued, "So where did you find her, Ash?" The young boy started recounting his adventures of the day, leading Professor Oak saying, "That's quite an adventure for your age my boy. You did admirably well in bringing the Dratini here. I am proud of you."

The young boy puffed up on the praise, but soon deflated when the old Professor said, "But have you talked with your mother Ash? I think Delia would be extremely worried for you by now." The boy paled at the mention of his mother, when Professor Oak's video phone started ringing. The Professor received it, to be met with the frantic face of Delia Ketchum, who immediately asked, "Good Evening Professor. I wanted to ask if Ash had visited you today. He is usually at home by now, but he has yet to come today." Oak chuckled, before saying, "Don't worry Delia, Ash is with me at the lab. Your son found an injured Pokémon in the woods today, which he immediately brought my lab. That's why he is not at your home now."

Delia Ketchum instantly calmed down, and Ash stepped up to the screen with a small amount of relief as he said, "Hey mum, I am sorry I worried you but when I found the Dratini, she had many injuries, so I wanted to bring it immediately to Professor Oak." Delia smiled at her son, and said, "Don't worry Ash-dear. I am not angry at all." Delia then giggled and cooed, "My son is growing up so fast; saving injured Pokémon and what-not. I am so proud of my boy." Ash blushed, before saying, "Mum, I wanted to ask if I can keep Dratini company for the night. I don't want her to be alone as she heals." Delia smiled along with the Professor as she answered, "It alright Ash, but only if the Professor has no problem." Professor Oak chuckled at the pleading eyes the seven-year old gave him before saying, "I don't have any problem with Ash being here for the night. I had planned to spend the night in the lab, so it is alright."

Ash beamed at both of them, before shouting a loud bye mom as he ran to the bed in which the sleeping Dratini was resting. Ash sat down on the bed and patted the snake-like Pokémon, who unconsciously purred before burrowing her head into Ash's side. Professor Oak, who entered the room at that time, smiled on looking at the tender moment shared by the Pokémon and the human child. He called to Ash, "Ash, why don't you wash up, and then we can eat some dinner before you can sleep on a bed next to Dratini. It is already very late and you must be very tired from your adventures today." It was then that Ash realized how hungry he was, and his stomach let out an audible growl. Ash blushed, before running off to wash himself as Samuel Oak chuckled and got up to prepare some dinner for himself and the young boy.

That night, after Ash and Professor Oak had gone to sleep, the infant Dratini woke up from her sleep. She was confused of her surroundings and the soft area she was laying on, when the events from before she fell asleep came back to her mind. She had hatched just a week earlier, and had never known her mother. For the first couple of days, she had remained hungry before managing to get some berries from a bush. The day before, she had attacked a Rattata in hope of eating it, but its family, consisting of two Raticates, attacked her and left her injured. Her memory then turned on a human whom she had seen arrive at the spot where she lay injured, and talking to her in soft tones, speaking about healing her. It was then that the Dratini realized that she was not feeling any pain from her injuries, and checking over herself, she realized that she was completely healed.

The Dratini thought that the human must have helped heal him, before she caught the familiar scent of her savior. She looked around to see him sleeping on raised platform next to her. She slithered down from her bed and climbed on to Ash's, before draping herself over the boy and drifting off into sleep with the warmth from the human's body warming the reptilian Pokémon.

When Professor Oak came in the morning to wake up Ash, he was both surprised and amused to see at the state of his two young charges. Ash was hugging Dratini to his body, and the snake-like Pokémon had wound herself around Ash. He continued smiling as he approached the two to wake them up. He initially called Ash to rouse him, and on no response, resorted to calling him rather loudly. But the young boy ignored him, murmuring something incoherent under his breath. Finally, with no recourse, he was forced to shake Ash to wake him, rousing the sleeping Pokémon with him.

Ash awoke with a groan, but was surprised when he felt a weight draped around him. Opening his eyes blearily, he saw the interior of Professor Oak's laboratory. On further focus, he could see the Professor standing near his bed. He tried to wake up, but froze when a coo was heard from near his ear. He turned his head, to see the Dratini resting on him, her serpentine head near his face. Ash gave a wide smile and started petting the dragon Pokémon, saying, "Wow Dratini, you are alright now. I am so happy."

The boy then asked the Professor, "Professor, can Dratini leave now?" Oak nodded answering Ash's question, and said, "Dratini is very young, less than a week old, in fact. But she is now healthy. The injuries were mainly bites and scratches, so they were not very difficult to heal." Ash's smile widened as he said, "Thank You Professor for healing Dratini. Now will you keep him with you in the ranch Professor?" The last question was asked in a hesitant tone, which made the Professor smile inwardly.

Prof. Oak looked thoughtful, before saying, "My boy, Dratini is extremely young, and has already taken you up as a close friend. It would be cruel of me to try and separate you. Besides, I know that even you want to take her with you. So no, I won't keep her in the ranch. But you see Ash, there is a problem, a child as young as you cannot be a trainer, and without being a trainer, you cannot keep Dratini in a Pokéball. As you will come to know, Dratini is an extremely rare Pokémon, and many will try to capture her if they found a wild Dratini is with you, hence it would be unsafe for her, which is why I am reluctant to allow her to go with you."

Ash looked saddened, and spoke up, "Isn't there anything I can do Professor that would allow me to keep Dratini?" The Professor looked as if he was thinking hard, before a light appeared I his eyes, and he said, "There is one way you will be allowed to capture Dratini Ash." The boy's excitement returned as he asked, "What is that Professor?" "Well a couple of years ago, the Pokémon league wanted to help develop more talented Pokémon Trainers from a younger age, and hence introduced the scheme of Pokémon Trainees. Under this program, a Pokémon Professor will select any promising young children who wish to be Pokémon Trainers and teach them about battling, caring and about everything they would need to know about Pokémon. The trainees would also be allowed to keep a maximum of two Pokémon with the permission of their supervising Professor. I have not yet taken any Trainees as no one promising has caught my eyes till now. I was thinking about offering you and Gary the chance next year, but my grandson refused, saying that he would make a great trainer by himself, but I think that I would have to offer you the chance year early."

Ash's eyes had lit up with joy, and he said, "Thank you Professor, thank you very much. And I would like to study under you too. I am sure I can learn many things from you." The Professor smiled, before a serious expression appeared on his face. He said, "Remember Ash, if you accept to be my trainee, you have to work hard and be prepared learning everything I teach you. You will help in the lab in the weekdays and I would teach you the various aspects of Pokémon training on the weekends and free days. If you are sure that you want to fully commit yourself to being a Pokémon trainer, then only you should agree to this. Now if you are sure, I am going to call in Delia for completing the necessary paperwork."

Ash looked conflicted for a moment, but a coo from Dratini was heard by our hero, and a determined light appeared in his eyes, he said, "I am sure Professor, I will work to my hardest under you, and I will be the best Pokémon trainer in the world." The old Professor gave Ash one last smile before moving out of the room to call Delia. Ash gave a tired sigh, before patting the Dratini and said, "You and I are going to be together buddy, and you will be my first Pokémon. Isn't that great?" Dratini smiled as she made a joyous coo and wound herself around her new friend and trainer.

Within an hour, registration had been completed, and Ash was now officially a Pokémon Trainee under Professor Oak. Professor Oak gave Ash a Pokedex and a couple of Pokéball. Ash then turned to Dratini, and holding up a Pokéball for her, and asked, "So Dratini, do you want to be my first Pokémon?" the Mirage Pokémon nodded resolutely and tapped the Pokéball with her snout, letting herself be sucked in by the device. Ash immediately released Dratini, and crouching down, he asked, "It wasn't very uncomfortable, was it Dratini?" the Pokémon shook her head to reassure her trainer. Professor Oak commented from behind, "My boy, the Pokedex that I gave you, aside from acting as your identity and Trainer's License, also allows you to scan any Pokémon that you come across. In case the Pokémon is wild or another Trainer's Pokémon, you will only see the general information on the Pokémon, but if you scan your own Pokémon, you can find its moves as well."

Ash gave an excited nod to the Professor before pointing at Dratini and selecting the scan option. The Pokedex spoke up in a mechanical voice, _'Dratini, the Mirage Pokémon. It is called the Mirage Pokémon as very few people have ever seen it. Its shed skin provides proof of its existence. It is the un-evolved form of Dragonite.'_

_This Dratini is Female._

_Known Moves- Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Tackle, Twister and Dragon Pulse(Egg Move)._

Professor Oak looked impressed, and said, "Wow Ash, your Dratini looks very powerful. She has impressive moves for a Pokémon so young." Ash smiled as he heard this, and said, "Oh Yeah. With Dratini's help, I will be a Pokémon Master in no time." Both Professor Oak and Delia laughed at the young boy's antics, before Oak sent the mother and son duo to their homes while reminding Ash to come to his lab at 9 in the morning for his training.

**Here ends the first chapter. Review whether you hate it, love it or have any suggestions.**

**-The Myth Writer signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN 1-I am sorry about the confusion with Dratini's gender, but I want to confirm that it is a female.**

**AN 2-As for the concern a reader showed about my conversations, I would like to say that English is not my First Language, and in India, the rules of English are enforced much more strictly than in the US. So my conversations will be a bit stiff, as that is how I know to write and speak them.**

**AN 3-Some might think that I am making Ash too powerful by giving him evolved Pokémon even before his journey, but I find it laughable when some fanfics say that Ash gets a Pokémon for over one year yet it does not evolve. It is freaking hilarious. Spending a year with a trainer, someone who trained under Professor Oak who is said in cannon to posses many extremely powerful Pokémon and not evolving for three years is laughable, if you think about it logically. Hence, even if you find it not to your taste, you will have to agree that it is logical.**

**Chapter 2**

For the next three years, till it was time for our Protagonist to go in his Pokémon Journey, he continued learning under Professor Oak as well as helping him in running the lab and the ranch. The Professor taught him everything the Pokémon trainer would need to know for being successful. He taught him about types of Pokémon, the types they were resistant to, weak to and immune to. He taught him how to train his Pokémon, helping him to train Dratini once she was ready to be trained. He taught him how to care for and groom Pokémon, as well as about battling and the rules related to them. As time passed, and Ash became proficient in the basics, he started teaching him about various Pokémon found in Kanto region, their types, moves, etc.

In return, Ash helped the Professor around the ranch and laboratory during the weekdays. He helped the Professor in taking care of injured and baby Pokémon, as well as in the paperwork and any other chores the Professor asked him to do. The professor even had Ash sometimes help him in his research. Though the boy initially showed zero interest in the 'boring' research, after a few months of constant involvement, he also started gaining a bit of interest in the various topics of research like the bonds between humans and Pokémon, evolution of Pokémon as well the study of rare of unusual Pokémon.

The Professor gleefully encouraged the boy, teaching him about his research and the research that his other colleagues were doing on Pokémon. By the end of the first year, to the Professor's delight, Ash was actively participating in the studies that the Professor conducted on Pokémon and taking his own observations, which they later compared to even better the studies, though Ash's notes were limited in scope due to lack of in-depth knowledge as well as his age.

Also, as time progressed, the Professor started raining Ash and Dratini harder and harder. And Ash, instead of being of dismayed, was quite enthusiastic, and even took notes on the Professor's methods after he learned the Professor was the Kanto Champion during his youth. It was quite intimidating and inspirational view when Professor had asked his Dragonite to perform the Draco Meteor attack during a training session to showcase the power of Dragon-type Pokémon. It surely pushed both Dratini and Ash to do even harder training.

Ash gained much practical experience in handling various Pokémon from Kanto and even other regions by helping the Professor in the ranch. The Professor taught his about various potions and berries that were used in healing, as well as how to take care of injured or sick Pokémon and the newly born Pokémon. It was during this time that Ash's hidden talent came to the fore. He took in the lessons on Pokémon handling, care and battling almost as fast as the Professor could provide him. Hence, by the time he was 8 and ½ years old, the Professor allowed him to take care of minor injuries by himself without supervision as well as take care of the new-born Pokémon in the ranch.

Also, Ash started helping professor more and more in the research as well as become more interested in it himself. Professor Oak was really grateful for the day he accepted Ash as a trainee, for the bay had freed up a lot of time from his schedule to concentrate on his first love, research. The boy had an amazing gift in calming down the Pokémon, as well as taking care of injured and sick Pokémon. He also helped him in conducting research by observing his bond with Dratini. It was a very close bond, which the Professor relished in observing, as such closeness between trainer and Pokémon was rarely ever seen. It was quite a treat to see the elusive Pokémon play with the child like lifelong friends.

Dratini, in herself, was a very strange Pokémon. Her species were very rare, and not much study had been conducted into them, but it was accepted that the maximum length they normally reached in the wild was of 6'. But Ash's Dratini was already 6' long at the time of her birth. In a span of 12 months, it had reached a length of 13 ft, more than three times the length of normal Pokémon of their species. It was quite a puzzle for the Professor and her trainer. But it also became increasingly clear to the duo that Dratini was much more powerful than any other Pokémon of its species after she defeated a rampaging Nidoran by a simple twister attack.

They two were amazed by this, and on continuing their research, found that Dratini's attacks were on average 2 to 3 times as powerful as that of a normal Dratini. It was quite a discovery for the duo, which they published as a paper under both their names, as they both had contributed on this. The Professor even had procured Rare Candies for ash to feed Dratini with, to check if further growth had any impact on power, and both were surprised when they found that Dratini's naturally phenomenal growth increased further with the use of candies, leaving her at a length of 25 feet at the end of 2 years, whereas the power of her attacks was 4 to 5 times that of a normal Dratini.

As the end of the trainee period came nearer with Ash celebrating his 9th birthday, he caught his second ever Pokémon. It was quite a catch, a shiny Pokémon that was considered extremely rare in wild..

_**Flashback**_

_It was in the afternoon, a few hours before Ash's birthday party and Ash, together with Dratini, had gone to visit the forest around the Pallet town to spend some time alone and pick some berries that did not grow in the ranch. They had finished picking the berries and were sharing a snack that Delia had prepared for them; an Oran berry pie along with some custom made Pokémon food for Dragon types. Most of the wild Pokémon who wanted to come and get some food were intimidated by Dratini's size, and they were enjoying the food when suddenly, a gold colored Charmander burst out from the foliage surrounding them. Ash and Dratini looked up from their food at the sudden noise, only for Dratini to get hit by a flamethrower._

_The Mirage Pokémon gave a cry of pain. Ash was concerned, and shouted, "Dratini, are you alright?" An answering coo was heard from the Dragon type, who rose with a vicious snarl on her face. Ash also looked angry, and said, "Very good girl. Now hit that lizard with a dragon pulse. It will show him not to mess with us." Dratini gave nodded and charged up a greenish ball, which was then thrown towards the Charmander. The Little lizard gave a pained cry, and looked injured, but blew you out another flamethrower._

_But this time, Dratini was alert and dodged the attack. Ash shouted, "Dratini, use thunder wave and paralyze it." His Pokémon fired of the electric attack at a very fast speed, and the Charmander was paralyzed and further hurt. Ash gave one last command, "Dratini use twister and finish it off. We can then capture it." A violent tornado of wind was created by Dratini, which then hit the paralyzed Charmander. As soon as the twister hit, it was thrown out, but managed to retain consciousness. It tried to hit Dratini with another Flamethrower, but the Mirage Pokémon nimbly dodged it before Ash commanded her, "Dratini use Dragon Tail on it." The Charmander was thrown upwards again by the finisher move and then crashed down with swirls for eyes. Ash took out the spare pokeball that he had with him and captured the Charmander, before the two friends quickly finished their snack and hurried to the Professor's ranch._

_**Flashback End**_

Professor Oak had said that since Ash had defeated and captured him, he could keep the Charmander as his second Pokémon. Ash had been quite happy with it, but not the Charmander. It had tried to attack Ash with embers and refused to listen to Ash at all. After a couple of days, Ash had grown so angry that he had allowed Dratini to do as she pleased with the lizard. After Dratini had tested her newer dragon-type moves, as well as water gun repeatedly on Charmander, the fire type had not bothered to disobey Ash. In a few months, it had also become quite close to Ash.

When Ash had asked the Professor about Charmander's unusual coloration, the Professor had revealed that Charmander was Shiny Charmander, which was considered very rare and valuable by Pokémon collectors. Ash had also made Charmander join Dratini in their weekend training sessions. It was during this time that Professor Oak had asked his own Charizard and Dragonite to tutor Dratini and Charmander. During this period of time, both of Ash's Pokémon grew at a much faster rate. Also Ash and Professor Oak were also conducting research of effect of exposing new and inexperienced Pokémon to more powerful and experienced Pokémon, and were delighted when the results show the growth of the younger Pokémon increased drastically due to it.

A couple of months after Ash had caught Charmander, Dratini finally evolved when fighting with a Nidoking in the ranch. Dratini, who was previously 25 ft long, was now a whopping 55ft in length. Ash had celebrated by gathering a large amount of berry to feed his best friend and first Pokémon. Even Oak had been impressed by Dragonair's size, which was one of the longest recorded in Pokémon history. Thankfully, Ash had found a bush of Enigma berry in the forest, which was able to satisfy any Pokémon regardless of type and size, to feed Dragonair, otherwise Professor Oak was sure he was going to bankrupt.

After evolution, Ash found another thing that was different with Dragonair. It had learned all the moves that affected the weather, even though it was not possible for her to learn some of them. When he talked about it with the Professor, the aged Oak was also confused, though he finally concluded that since Dragonair's had ability to control the weather, it might have allowed her to learn the moves despite the inability of her species to learn them. It was quite a confusing phenomenon for Professor, and some Dragon-type researchers he had contacted were also impressed by this, besides being confused, that is.

After Dratini had evolved, she grew even more powerful, though it took her some time to grow used to her bigger body. But as soon as she was acclimatized to her new body, she continued with her training as before. She spent more time training with Dragonite, who also started teaching her more powerful moves that she now could learn, though most effort went into mastering and perfecting her old and new moves so that she could do them perfectly and economically. She was also trained to increase her stamina by Ash, so that using a single powerful move will not tire her out.

It wasn't long before Charmander also evolved from the training that it underwent with Ash and Professor Oak's Charizard, as it had a high level even before Ash had caught him, which increased faster with proper and organized training. He evolved into a golden Charmeleon during a mock battle with a Squirtle in the ranch. He also learned Fire Blast with the evolution while also allowing him to lean new and more powerful moves, which he did with relish from Charizard.

Soon, time flew, and the day on which Ash had to leave for his very own Pokémon journey.

The bird Pokémon were twittering and making various noises while people and Pokémon alike were rising from their sleep. Ash was sleeping peacefully on his bed with a small smile and drool leaking out of his mouth when suddenly his Voltrob alarm started ringing loudly. Ash woke up with a groan, but jumped out of his bed when he realized what day it was. "Yes, today I am going to begin my Pokémon Journey, take the first step towards my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master."

Ash hurriedly got ready for the day, before running down the stairs. There he was greeted by his mother, who said, "Good Morning Ash. Are you ready to begin your journey today?" "Yes mom, I am finally going to go on my very own Pokémon Journey. You will see mom, I will be a Pokémon Master in no time." Delia Ketchum laughed at her son's antics, "Very well Ash. Now eat your breakfast before you go to the Professor's laboratory. Don't forget to change your underwear everyday too."

Ash blushed, before a loud "MOOOM" was heard as Ash ran out towards the Laboratory. It was about 10 minutes later that he reached the laboratory, admitting himself in. He went in see that Professor was sitting alone in the room where the starters were kept, doing some paperwork. Ash went in, and said, "Good Morning Professor, are you busy now?"

Ash had come early, as he did not have to select a starter Pokémon, and hence was not surprised when the old Professor jumped out of his seat in surprise, before he saw Ash and calmed down. He admonished Ash, "Please Ash, don't surprise an old man like that, our hearts are weaker than you younglings. As for this work, it is the paperwork needed to identify all of you new trainers and register you with the league." Ash smiled at that, and said, "So Professor what do I have to do to be finally made a trainer?" The Professor smiled at his enthusiasm, and said, "No Ash, don't worry. You won't have to do anything. I will update your status from Trainee to Trainer with the Pokémon league right now, and you would be eligible to catch as many Pokémon as you want, though you can still keep only 6 Pokémon with you at any time."

Ash nodded, having already known this as Professor Oak updated his profile. Ash then asked the Professor, "So can I leave now Professor?" The Professor stopped Ash, saying, "Wait a minute Ash, I have something that I have to give you." Saying this, he took out a large wristwatch-like device, presenting it to Ash. Ash looked confused at this, so the Pokémon Professor explained, "This Ash is something that has been created as a combined project between me and Professor Juniper. It is based on my own Pokedex and the Unova region's Xtransceiver along with my friend Bill's Pokémon storage and Transfer System, the Xtreme-Dex or the X-Dex."

Ash whistled in appreciation at the sleek look of the device, before he said, "But what does it do Professor?" The Professor smiled smugly, before saying, "It can function as a Pokedex that can scan any Pokémon, not just that of Kanto. It will also record any Pokémon you encounter on its own using its own intelligence. Besides, it will also allow you to hold four video conversations at the same time and also displays a map of the region you are in. Finally, it can also transfer your Pokémon to afro from my ranch, so if you want an urgent Pokémon transfer, you can call me on it, and I can send the Pokémon to you, even if you are not in the Pokémon Center. But the best part is that it has Artificial Intelligence and can give you information on any Pokémon subject in its database if you ask it."

By the end of the speech, Ash was looking wide-eyed at the device. He snapped out of his reverie, and asked, "Wow Professor, that is a seriously cool device. But why are you giving this to me?" "You see ash, this is only a prototype, and Professor Juniper and I decided that you would be a good candidate to test it out, which is why I am giving it to you now." Ash was still unconvinced, and asked, "But why me Professor, there are three other Trainers who are setting out today, including Gary. Why are you not offering it to them?" Professor shook his head, and said, "Ash, for the past three years, you have helped me around in the lab and the ranch, taking care of Pokémon and helping me in research. If not for your dream of being a Pokémon aster, I would have had made you my assistant. I know you are responsible, and you were already on your way to be a researcher with your Paper on the power of Giant Pokémon. This is the reason I decided that you would be the best trainer to perform a field test of the X-Dex."

Ash looked surprised and embarrassed, before saying, "But Professor, what of the data that I had on my Pokedex?" "Don't worry my boy; it can be transferred to the X-Dex later on. Now put it on, and use it to scan any new and unusual Pokémon you see, and try to catch them so that we can study them together." Ash grinned at the Professor, before putting the device on his wrist. It powered up, and said in a monotone, "Assimilating DNA. Assimilation is complete. Hello, I am Dexter, a mobile Pokémon Encyclopedia-cum-Video Phone-cum-Virtual Map-cum-Pokémon Transfer System-cum-Advisor for the Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum. If Lost or stolen, I can teleport to my owner."

Professor Oak then brought Ash's Pokedex near the X-Dex, and it powered up again, with the monotone drone saying, "Downloading data from Pokedex. Download Complete. Trainer Ash Ketchum Possess two Pokémon, Dragonair and Charmeleon. Congratulations Ash, both your Pokémon are unusual for their species." Ash looked excited, before saying, "Wow Professor, it is so cool."But instead of Professor's voice, a dull monotone voice answered him, "Thanks for the complement Ash."

Ash, who had yet to be introduced to the full capabilities of Dexter, jumped in surprise, before looking around and asking, "Who said that?" It was then he noticed that the sound was coming from his wrist, and it said, "I am Dexter, the Xtreme-Dex speaking." As Ash realized this, he calmed himself, and said to the Professor, "It's a great gift Professor. Thank you again." "It's alright my boy. The help you have given me over last few years is worth more than some new device. Due to your help, and your close bond with your Pokémon, my studies in my main field of research, as well as the research on unique Pokémon have been very popular, so there is no need of thanking me my boy. Now there is one other thing that remains to be given to you."

"What is it Professor?" an excited Ash asked his mentor. Prof. Oak smiled, and said, "Over the last three years, you have helped me tremendously in my research and have even participated in some research. As such, you are almost ready to be my Assistant Researcher. But since you are going on Pokémon Journey, I have decided to appoint you as my Assistant Field Researcher." Ash was flabbergasted. Professor Oak was the most celebrated Professor in the whole world. Many Pokémon researchers have wanted to apprentice under him, but despite not being a researcher, Professor Oak was offering him the post of Assistant Researcher to him.

When finally Ash calmed down, he said, "Professor, it is a great honour. I do not even know I am even qualified for this or not. Are you sure about this?" The old Professor sighed, and said, "My boy, you may think you are not eligible, but over the years, you have learnt much more than most of the beginner researchers even know about Pokémon. Besides, I am sure you would try and capture any unusual Pokémon you encounter, or at least observe them for me. So I am sure that I made no mistake in awarding you the position." Saying so, the Professor handed Ash a card, which was revealed to be his Researcher's License. Oak asked Ash to scan the card with Dexter, when Ash did so; Dexter's voice came out, "Pokémon Researcher-in-Training Ash Ketchum. You now have permission to carry a full team of 10 Pokémon with you, which can be increased indefinitely under the discretion of your supervising Pokémon Professor."

Ash was surprised for the uncountable time that day. Finally picking up his jaw from the floor, he shouted, "Thank you, thank you, thank you Professor. I don't know how I can thank you properly." The Old Professor laughed at the young boy's enthusiasm, before saying, "You can repay me by catching and studying unusual and rare Pokémon that we can study." Ash gave a determined, nod, before saying, "Of course Professor, I will catch as many rare and unusual Pokémon as I can. You can count on me for it."

After saying goodbye, Ash ran towards his home. It was no secret that Gary was also leaving Pallet Town the same day, and he had no intention of meeting his best friend-turned-rival on such a happy day. He had managed to keep Charmeleon and Dragonair hidden from Gary, and had no intention of exposing them now. He had realized that using a powerful Pokémon like Dragonair to combat beginner Pokémon would be plain out overkill, hence he was reduced to Charmeleon when fighting trainers at least until he caught some wild Pokémon and trained them up. Soon, he had reached his home, where he quickly packed his bag with a few last minute additions and some of his prized possesions. Finishing last of his works, he finally went down and said his goodbye to his mother.

Soon, Ash Ketchum had set out on his journey to be the greatest Pokémon Master in the World.

**So how was it? Review your flames, praises, criticisms and suggestions. I welcome them all.**

**The Myth Writer signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The positive reviews are really doing wonders for my enthusiasm in writing this story. Some might believe that I have made Dragonair too powerful and the wild Pokémon a lot weaker in this chapter, but my reasons are at the bottom in another AN so as to not give any spoiler.**

**Chapter 3**

Ash set out on Route One, stretching from Pallet Town to one of the largest city in Kanto, Viridian City. The route had only some weaker Pokémon, like Rattatta, Spearow and Pidgey. But recent years, it had been reported to be home a particularly malicious flock of Spearows. Hence, Ash decided that it would be best if he moved through the Forest as fast as possible. In a few hours, he had almost completely crossed Route 1, but stops when he sees a Pidgeotto.

'Oh wow, a Pidgeotto. It is quite a bit stronger than a Pidgey, and this one looks much more powerful than a normal specimen.' Ash took out Charmeleon's pokeball, and releasing him, said, "Chameleon, lets capture that Pidgeotto for our team." An answering roar came from Charmeleon as he blew a plume of flames towards the bird. The Pidgeotto replied with a squawk before it was covered in a white glow and shot towards Charmeleon. "Ash shouted, "Be careful Charmeleon, it is using Quick Attack. Wait till it comes closer and fire a flamethrower full power towards it." Charmeleon released a flamethrower just as Pidgeotto approached him, halting the Quick Attack in its tracks and burning the Bird Pokémon. It gave a cry of pain, before its wing gained a steely-gleam as it again flew towards Ash's Pokémon.

"Use Metal Claw when it comes near, and then Tackle it Charmeleon." The Fire type simply answered with "Charr" as the Pidgeotto came in for another attack. The Metal Claw was deflected by the Steel Wing, but the ensuing Tackle caused Charmeleon to land on top of Pidgeotto, who had already been injured from the flamethrower. The Tackle proved too much for the bird, who fainted with a soft cry. Charmeleon blew a plume of flame in happiness, as Ash congratulated him, "Very good Charmeleon, you totally dominated the fight. I am very proud of you." He immediately turned his attention to the downed Pidgeotto, throwing a pokeball at it. It was immediately captured, showing that it was too tired to even struggle. Picking it up, Ash gave a victory pose while saying, "Yes, I caught a Pidgeotto" with Charmeleon letting out a happy "Charr" from the side.

Ash thereafter scanned Pidgeotto's pokeball with his X-Dex, and it spoke up,

_Pidgeotto, the evolved form of Pidgey. Unlike Pidgey, it is much more aggressive and trainers should approach it with care._

_This Pidgeotto is a female._

_It has the ability Keen Eye._

_Known Moves- Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Steel Wing, Scratch, Peck and Leer. The Egg Move Sky Attack has yet to be activated._

Ash whistled, as he said, "Wow, Pidgeotto knows quite a few moves." It was then he realized that he had not scanned his older Pokémon for many months now. He hurriedly took out a Pokeball, before releasing Dragonair. She came out with a roar, but turned her confused faces towards her trainer when no enemies were in sight. Ash smiled at them, and said, "Hey guys. Don't worry, we are not fighting now, it's just that I wanted to scan the moves you have learned in the past few months, and my new Dex even identifies your Ability." A cry of "Dragoon" and "Charr" were his answers as his friends nodded in understanding. Pointing his wrist at his Pokémon, Ash said, "Hey Dexter, can you scan Charmeleon and Dragonair and tell me their abilities?"

Dexter's monotone drone answered him back, as the AI said, "Of course Ash, it would be a pleasure."

_Dragonair, the evolved form of Dratini, this Pokémon can fly without wings and has the ability to control the elements. The orbs below its neck and its tail allow it to concentrate its power._

_The Dragonair is Female_

_Ability- Marvel Scale_

_Hidden Ability- Moxie_

_Known Moves- Wrap, Leer, Thunderwave, Twister, Slam, Dragon Tail, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Dragon Breathe, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Hail, Blizzard, Dragon Dance, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Rest, Toxic and Water Gun._

_Charmeleon, the evolved form of Charmander, the fire on its tail burns brighter the more powerful it is. If its tail flame goes out, the Charmeleon dies._

_The Charmeleon is Male._

_Ability- Blaze._

_Hidden Ability- Moxie_

_Known Moves- Growl, Scratch, Tackle, Ember, Metal Claw, Iron Tail, Dragon Claw, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Dragon Breathe, Hone Claws and Fire Blast._

When Dexter finally quietened, all the three were listening to it intently. Ash finally spoke up, "Wow guys, you two are amazing. You know so many moves, I am sure we would be able to get many new friends within a short time. But Dexter, what is Moxie?" The rookie trainer finished with a question, as he had barely touched upon abilities with Professor Oak, as they were not very commonly known by the trainers.

Dexter's monotone voice piped up, "Moxie is a rare ability that allows a Pokémon to grow stronger during a battle as it defeats more and more Pokémon. It allows you to defeat the successive Pokémon more and more easily in a battle with more than one Pokémon." Ash was surprised with the rare ability, but he managed to thank Dexter, before saying, "Ok guys, return for now. We will start our training once we reach Viridian City." Just as he picked up their Pokeballs to return his two Pokémon, a feminine scream was heard throughout the forest.

Ash returned Charmeleon, before saying to Dragonair, "Someone must be on trouble. Professor Oak did say the Spearows were giving much more trouble nowadays. Now let's hurry before someone is grievously injured." Dragonair gave a coo in answer before allowing her trainer to climb on her. As soon as Ash had settled down, she flew over the tree line and towards the noise. As they advanced, Ash was able to make out a river flowing in the distance and an enraged squawk accompanied with another scream from the same direction. Dragonair increased her speed, and both of them reached in time to see a large Fearow, leading a group of Spearow, harassing an orange haired girl, who was trying but failing to fight back with a Staryu and Stramie.

Ash immediately commanded, "Dragonair, Thunderbolt with as much power as you can. Follow with multiple Twister attacks." Dragonair gave no sign of hearing her trainer, but fired of an extremely powerful thunderbolt. Despite not being an electric type herself, the pure power of Dragonair's Thunderbolt fried of nearly 2/3rds of the Spearow, causing them to descend into unconsciousness. The rest of the Spearows and the Fearow turned to Ash. They were momentarily intimidated by Dragonair's size, before the Fearow gave a loud cry and flew towards Dragonair with the intention of attacking. At the same precise moment, Dragonair let up a barrage of Twisters that she was building up. One of them collided with the Fearow, tossing it into another Twister. When the attack died down, all most all Spearows were gone, and the Fearow looked injured. As a final attack, ash ordered Dragonair to launch a thunderbolt at Fearow, which the injured Pokémon was unable to dodge and immediately went out like a light.

Ash immediately threw a Pokeball towards the downed bird Pokémon, who was captured without much of a fight. Ash petted his oldest Pokémon, before saying, "You have grown so strong Dragonair, you managed to take down the whole flock of Spearow as well as a Fearow in your own. Now lets check on the girl they were attacking earlier." Dragonair nodded, before floating down to land near the river. There ash found that the girl had fainted along with her Pokémon. He returned the Pokémon to their Pokeballs, before throwing some water on her face. She looked uncomfortable due to the cold, before she returned to consciousness.

The girl looked around for a moment in confusion before she suddenly shot up and looked around frantically, "Strayu, Starmie, where are you?" She noticed Ash sitting near her, and asked, him, "Have you seen my Pokémon? And where did the Spearows go?" Ash told her to calm down, before saying, "I believe that you fainted due to the Spearows attack along with you Pokémon. I managed to disperse the Spearows and capture the leading Fearow. Your Pokémon are safe, although injured, inside their Pokeballs, so don't worry for them. But I must that you must see a Nurse Joy as soon as possible for your injuries as well your Pokemons' injuries."

The girl calmed down a little, before saying, "I had come down here in my bike for a bit of fishing when the Spearows started attacking me. I had only Staryu and Starmie with me, which did not allow me to fight back properly. Thank you for rescuing me. I believe that I can reach Viridian City quickly if I use it." She looked around, only to let out a loud screech. Ash followed her line of vision, only to see that the bike had a fried look along with being twisted around so much that it was impossible to be restored. She ran up to it, and shouted, "Oh no, what happened to my bike?" Ash looked a little sheepish as he said, "I think it might have been exposed to one too many attacks during the fight against the Spearows. I and my Pokémon had to use Lightning bolts and Twisters quite frequestly."

Ash had hoped that the girl would be able to understand that it was collateral damage, but the orange headed girl turned upon him with fury in her eyes as she shouted at him, "You, You destroyed my bike. Now pay up for it." Ash was suddenly taken aback by her attitude, before he managed to collect his wits, and answered, "What do you mean I destroyed your bike? You were the one that had fainted under a Spearow attack and I was just trying to protect you from becoming their meal. Don't blame me for your own stupidity in attracting the Spearow flock."

If Ash had believed that his statement would allow the girl to see reason, he was sorely mistake because the girl let out another scream of frustration, before shouting at him, "You- you are calling me stupid? I don't believe your nerve. First you destroy my bike, and now you are refusing to pay up for it." Ash, frustrated with the girl's stubbornness, said, "I am not going to pay for your bike which was destroyed because of your own foolishness. I am going on my way." Saying thus, Ash started walking away from the clearing. He was stopped short when a pain erupted on his head. He literally saw stars during the day as he drunkenly turned to face the girl, who had a large mallet in her hand.

Ash looked on at her in disbelief, before he asked, "Did you… did you just hit me with that mallet?" The girl nodded as she started shouting again, "You destroyed my bike and you are not going anywhere without paying up for it." Ash, whose head had cleared from the pain of that blow, simply looked on at her disbelievingly as he said, "Oh please, forget about it. I am not going to pay for your stupid bike." Saying so, he released Dragonair, and taking advantage of the girl's momentary shock, climbed up on her, and said, "Hey girl, follow the river till the road and take me there with you."

Dragonair cooed in answer before rising up and stating to fly. The girl's cry of frustration was like music to Ash's ears.

Ash searched for clearing to camp near the road as evening was fast approaching. Soon, he found a very large clearing not too far from a large river where one could easily camp. He asked Dragonair to land in the clearing, before returning her to her Pokeball. He immediately started setting up camp and preparing food for himself and his Pokémon from what he had learned under his mother. Soon, all the food was ready, and Ash first released Dragonair, Pidgeot and Charmeleon to eat. When Pidgeot was released, she looked around in confusion for a moment, before looking intimidated when she spotted Charmeleon. But Ash walked closer to her, saying, "Don't worry Pidgeotto, Charmeleon won't harm. Have captured you, and now you are my Pokémon. Do you understand me?" The gentle bird Pokémon nodded to show that she understood the rookie trainer, who smiled and continued, "It's my dream to become the most powerful trainer, and for it, I require help and cooperation from all my Pokémon, so that we can grow stronger together. So do you want to train under me, to grow much stronger?"

Ash smiled as an answering call of "Pid, Pidge" answered him as the bird nodded to him. He turned towards his other two friends and addressed them, saying, "Today I captured the leader of flock of Spearows, a Fearow. I am sure Dragonair remembers him. Now Fearows are known for their bad tempers and since this one was the leader of the flock, I am sure he would be pretty powerful. I am going to release him. I want you all to restrain him if he is aggressive, but do not injure it too badly. Get ready, 1, 2, 3… pokeball GO!"

The red and white sphere in Ash's hand gave up a ray of scarlet light, which soon became evident as a particularly large Fearow, standing at a height of 7ft. It looked confused for few moments, before its eyes alighted on Dragonair and Ash, and a furious glint appeared in his eyes. With a quick cry, it flew towards the two, but before he could do anything, a powerful thunderbolt hit it, making loose altitude swiftly, before he collapsed on the ground, paralyzed by the super effective attack. Ash cautiously approached him, before saying, "Look, I know you are angry at being separated from your flock, but I have already captured you. That means now you are one of my Pokémon. I promise that I will help you grow much stronger, like Dragonair, but to do it, I require your co-operation. So, are you ready to work with me?"

The Fearow, whose paralystion was just wearing off, snorted before completely ignoring Ash and trying to break the paralysis. Ash grew frustrated with its attitude, and with noticeable steel present in his voice said, "I know you believe that you are too powerful to listen to me, but how about a deal? You can fight me in a one-on-one match. If you win, I will release you into the wild, but if you lose, then you have to listen to my commands and accept me as a trainer. Do you agree to it?" He was answered with another snort, as the fearsome bird simply nodded before shifting into a battle-ready position as the paralysis wore off completely.

Ash grinned. Although the Fearow was powerful, Dragonair was much more powerful than him. He had trained with his friend for nearly three years, and both of them trusted each other completely. There wasn't much Fearow could do against them. Fearow made the first move. Rising up in the air, the bird streaked down towards Dragonair in a move that Ash recognized as Quick Attack. Ash calmly ordered Dragonair, "Twister." Dragonair ducked her head, before a small tornado appeared before, growing in power. Fearow, who was already in Quick Attack, could do little to change direction, and was captured by the Twister, which had grown around 30ft high. The attack soon died down, leaving behind a slightly beat up Fearow. But before it could re-orient himself, Ash ordered, "Now Thunderwave my friend." With an answering coo, the electric type attack flashed towards the disoriented flying type.

Though the attack itself was not strong enough to knock out the Pokémon, though the super effective attack did some damage. The secondary effect of Thunderwave left the bird paralyzed for the second time that day. Ash immediately capitalized on it, before he shouted out, "Now fire off a thunderbolt Dragonair. Let's end this." The dragon Pokémon obeyed her trainer as she fired off another strong bolt of lightning towards its foe. The downed bird watched helplessly as the electric attack hit him, before slipping into unconsciousness. Ash quickly strode over to him, before taking out a Paralyse Heal and using it on the bird Pokémon.

The arcs of electricity in its body disappeared as it slowly woke up form unconsciousness. As the bird Pokémon raised from its position on ground, Ash carefully backed away, enough to avoid any attacks but not enough to appear afraid, and carefully looked on as the Fearow fully awoke. It did not look as aggressive as before, which Ash took as a good sign, before saying, "As you saw, you lost against me. Now do you want join me or not?" The Fearow looked conflicted, but ultimately bowed his head to Ash. Ash let out a quiet sigh and continued, "Welcome to the team Fearow. Promise you that I will train to be the strongest Fearow in the World."

An answering rumble of "Roow" was his answer as the Fearow calmed down and butted his head against Ash. Ash stumbled, but managed to keep standing, before saying, "Now I am going to scan you, to know what moves you know, so don't be alarmed." A cautious nod was his answer, as he asked Dexter to scan Fearow. It said,

_Fearow, the Furious Bird Pokémon. The Fearow are extremely bad tempered and can attack without provocation. Flocks of Spearows led by a Fearow can cause severe problems for beginning trainers._

_This Fearow is Male._

_Ability- Keen Eyes._

_Hidden Ability- Guts._

_Known Moves- Gust, Peck, Tackle, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Quick Attack, Twister and Sand Attack._

Ash smiled at Fearow, and said, "Oh my, you are already very strong, aren't you?" he was answered by the Fearow inflating his chest in pride at his praise. Ash smiled at his antics, before he turned to his other Pokémon, and said, "Go and get to know your new friends better. Your real training will begin from tomorrow, and I doubt you would get any time for getting to know each other." Three different voices answered him as Charmeleon, Dragonair, Pidgeotto and Fearow chattered among them, though Fearow was distinctly uncomfortable with socialization and kept separate from the other three.

Ash gave one last smile before taking out his sleeping bag and going to sleep, the next day was going to be a very long day.

**Finally, over; it took more time than I estimated to complete this chapter, though it is satisfactory. **

**Now, as I promised, I wanted to say that wild Pokémon in my fics would not be very strong, though the Pokémon of Route 1 are considered the weakest of them all. You might be unhappy on how easily Dragonair defeated a Fearow, who are much feared among bird Pokémon, but then again, Dragonair has been with Ash for three years, and has Ash to determine strategy. Besides, she is an inherently strong Pokémon, and a Dragonair's powers of weather manipulation would naturally strengthen the attacks like thunderbolt or twister. Hope it satisfies you.**

**I am not entirely satisfied with the scene between Misty and Ash, but I don't like Misty, so I hope you can ****understand.**

**Send your reviews, flames, praises, questions, sugesstions and comments.**

**The Myth Writer signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I got a review saying that I put wrong abilities for the Pokémon in my Pokedex entries. I admit it, but really, aside from a few abilities, like static, flame body, motor drive, etc, the other abilities are rarely encountered in the stories, and much less authors pay attention to it. Let's admit, almost no one cares about abilities in fanfics. I do admit that I had confused Rain Dance and Sunny Day and had written a wrong move, but I have corrected it.**

**The reviewer also complained that I gave some Pokémon 8 or 9 moves but called them weak in my last AN, but does anyone really think of scratch, peck, leer, growl, gust or tackle as real or useful moves? I surely do not, so you can expect see them liberally scattered throughout the fics, as is with the Abilities, expect some specific Pokémon like Shedinja and Wonder Guard, which is a unique ability. **

**I also admit that there have been some typos in the first Chapter, but I promise that I will correct them as soon as I can, preferably within a week. Finally, the reviewer had complained about a few moves that I gave to Dragonair that a Pokémon of Dratini family should not possess. But did I or did I not explain in the first chapter that Dragonairs' power of weather control had become stronger in Ash's Dragonair to manifest as moves that affect the weather. Also, this is a fanfiction guys, we have complete autonomy over our stories, and it is not like I gave Dragonair Blast Burn or Hydro cannon. As for the comment regarding water gun, Dragonair, Dragonite or Dratini, they are a marine species, enough said. **

**I hope these have cleared up any doubts or complaints any of you had. If not, do review your questions.**

**Chapter 4**

The next morning, Ash woke up to the calls of numerous Pidgey and other bird Pokémon in the forest. Ash sleep fled from his eyes, Ash noticed that it was quite early in the morning, and a quick glance at Dexter, who was programmed to function as real watch when not in use, confirmed it when it showed that it was only 7 in the morning. Ash groaned, but slowly woke up and freshened himself up with a bit of water from a canteen. Ash had known the dangers of starvation or dehydration in the wild, and had hence packed a good amount of Pokefood as well as normal food along with many canteens of water is two Storage Compartments that he had ordered from Viridian City especially for his journey.

The Storage Compartments were inventions of Sliph Co. who discovered then about a decade ago. They allowed a large amount of things to be kept in a device the size of Ash's palm, and some cryogenics allowed anything that was put inside to remain in a field of stasis. It allowed trainers to carry very large amounts of food and water, which they were unable to do earlier because of size constraints. The purchases had been very heavy on ash's meager savings that he had scrounged up from his Pocket Money and the allowances that Professor Oak gave him for helping him in the Laboratory.

Ash had soon prepared food for both himself and his Pokémon, before he released them from their Pokeballs. Charmeleon and Dragonair were used to being in Pokeballs, but both Fearow and Pidgeotto were confused on being suddenly released from the Pokeballs. The Pokeballs were designed in a unique process that allowed a pocket dimension to form within it. The artificial simulators allowed the Pokémon to remain in a state of suspended animation, though with full access to senses and any hard impact to the ball could be felt by them.

Besides storing Pokémon, the Pokeballs had another hidden function. They subtly affected the consciousness of the Pokémon, turning them more obedient and respectful towards their trainers. It was fairly weak compulsion, and most powerful Pokémon could ignore it, but the weaker Pokémon were easily brainwashed to be more friendly and obedient to their masters. It was not well publicized, and was very well hidden from the public, lest there be an outcry against it. Pokémon by nature were wild creatures, and it really was dangerous to allow them to remain unchecked in the hands of 10 year olds. Most Pokémon Professors as well as researchers agree that the only way to make a Pokémon respect you is to show it that you were stronger, which was the point of battling wild Pokémon instead of ambushing them.

Soon after breakfast was over, Ash broke camp, and addressed his Pokémon, "Today I will start your training. I will train you to be faster, stronger, more powerful and just plain better. But it will not be easy. Most of the time, you will tired or injured or both. Rest will be few and far between. But for this, you will grow stronger and slowly move towards being the best. So, do you think you can keep up to it?" His taunting question was answered by four enthusiastic calls, and a small smile appeared on Ash's face, as he called out, "I am pleased with the excitement you are showing, but now let's get to work. Dragonair, currently you have a very diverse move set, so you will not be learning any new moves just now. I want you work on your flying abilities. You will fly within the forest for as long as you are able to. Now don't go too far away or too high, otherwise some will spot you and then it would be a bother to keep you secret. Charmeleon, you also have a decent move set and any more powerful moves would require your evolution, for which you are not ready yet, so you have to work on your power and stamina. Now at the other end of the clearing, perform Fire Blast at full power for as long as you can, and slowly, remember slowly, try to increase the power. Return as soon as you are tired, I will give you some other exercises." His two older friends nodded and started to do as directed by Ash as their trainer faced his two newest captures.

He told them, "Both of you are new to the team, and hence I do not know what you are capable of. So first of all, both of you will perform the attacks you know to show how well you have mastered them. Now first will be Pidgeotto." The evolved form of Pidgey hopped in excitement as she flew up into the air. Ash started giving the commands, "Pidgeotto, start with Steel Wing on that tree."Ash pointed out a young tree, about two feet in diameter. The bird Pokémon nodded, before flying up and rocketing towards the tree. Her wing acquired a silvery glow, and when it hit the tree, the tree was cleaved in two. Ash clapped and said, "Very good Pidgeotto. It seems that you have already mastered Steel Wing. Now perform Wing Attack on the stump."

Pidgeotto sped up in another dive towards the remaining stump, preparing a Wing Attack. When the attack hit, the tree was uprooted and crashed towards the other side. Ash applauded again, before saying, "Now perform Quick Attack on the air." Pidgeotto flapped her wings, speeding up, before she was engulfed in a white layer of energy and vanished from her position, appearing further up in the sky within the blink of an eye. Ash gave a final order to Pidgeotto, "Now use Scratch on the log." He said, pointing out one of the two pieces of the log that Pidgeotto had earlier cut down. A cry of "Pid-Pid-Geo" was heard as the Pokémon entered into dive from her position in the sky, her talons stretched for a Scratch attack. When she removed herself from the log, six thick and deep gouges had been created on the piece of wood.

When Pidgeotto landed in front of Ash, the young trainer congratulated on her well executed moves, and said, "Very good Pidgeotto, it seems as if you have managed to master your moves pretty well. Now I want you to fly within the forest at a high speed. Take care not to hit any tree and slowly increase your speed till you are at full speed. It would be good maneuverability training for you before you evolve into a Pidgeot. Get on with your flying, its Fearow's time now."

Pidgeotto gave a cry of her name, before she flew into the surrounding forest to begin her training. Fearow landed in front of Ash, eager to show off his skills. Ash looked over his newest Pokémon, and realized that Fearow was smaller than the average Fearow. He immediately understood that Fearow must have been newly evolved, and was hence impressed with the number of moves he knew. He shook himself from his examination, and said, "Ok Fearow, Dexter says that you know Gust, Peck, Tackle, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Twister, Air Slash, Steel Wing and Aerial Ace. Now first of all show me your Quick Attack."

With a cry of "Row, Row", Fearow took to the skies. His larger wings gave him much greater speed than Pidgeotto, and when he executed his Quick Attack, he was much faster than Pidgeotto. Ash continued with his commands, telling him to perform Twister, which produced a large tornado of air that knocked down a few trees before Fearow dissipated it, and Air Slash, which led to felling a number of smaller trees whereas a few of the bigger trees had very deep slashes on their bodies as a mark of Fearow's strength. When Steel Wing's turn came, the evolved form of Spearow managed to cut straight through a tree about 6 feet in radius. Ash was suitably impressed with Fearow's strength despite noticing that Fearow was not experienced in using his attacks. Ash noted to make Fearow practice his attacks. After Fearow recovered from his Steel Wing and landed in front of Ash smiled at the Flying Type, and said, "Very good Fearow. Your attacks were almost completely flawless. A bit more practice, and they would be perfect. Now let's see your Aerial Ace. It is the strongest flying type move and if you perfect it, it would be a great addition to your arsenal, giving you a great advantage."

Fearow preened under Ash's praise, and flew up, gearing up for performing his most powerful attack. He started the move perfectly, but halfway to his target, the move fizzled out. Fearow gave a disappointed cry as he landed in near Ash with his head bowed in shame. But Ash calmly walked up to Fearow, and said, "Don't worry Fearow, I know you have evolved recently, so you will take some practice to perfect Aerial Ace, and that is where I come, I will help you become the best as I had promised you." Fearow looked at his trainer with more respect than earlier, as Ash patted him on the head.

After a few moments of bonding, Ash walked a few feet away, and addressed Fearow, "Now from what I saw, the problem with the attack is that it fizzles out midway. I suggest that you gather more energy before attempting the attack." Fearow gave a cry of "Fear, Row" to show his understanding, as he climbed high, before hovering at a height, before he began his decent towards his target. The Attack remained for a longer time, but fizzled before it could reach the target. When Ash saw that Fearow was getting disheartened, he shouted encouragements at his Pokémon, and soon, Fearow went into another dive.

The third, fourth and fifth attempt lasted longer than the one before it, but fizzled out before they could hit the target. Thoughtful, Ash called back Fearow to ground, and said, "Ok Fearow, it seems that you are not being able to maintain the energy for the attack. I want you to attack from a lesser distance, and concentrate more on maintaining the energy; we can work on accuracy after you have mastered the attack."

Fearow rose to air with a simple nod, stopping at a lower height. He hovered for a few moments, gathering the energy for the attack, before a look of intense concentration appeared on his avian face. This time the Aerial Ace attack did not fizzle out, though it grew progressively weaker, and by the time it hit one of the trees, it barely budged, though it groaned and shook heavily. Fearow landed in front of him, with a slightly tired but triumphant look in his eyes. Ash also clapped, and said, "Very good Fearow. You have managed Aerial Ace. Now let's start trying to make it more powerful. I think you should try to concentrate a bit more."

Fearow nodded again, before flying off to the same place as before and repeating his actions. He gathered the required energy quickly, before leaning in to a dive. This time the attack was more substantial, and the tree that was hit tilted by a small angle. But Ash was relentless, and ordered Fearow to repeat it. Fearow shook himself from the slight tiredness, before repeating the attack. He struck gold in his 4th repeat, managing to maintain the attack properly, and tipped over a large tree with the attack. Ash finally called him to the ground, and a tired Fearow immediately complied with his request. Ash smiled at Fearow, and said, "You have perfected Aerial Ace, Fearow. With a bit more practice, it would be practically flawless, but it is enough for today. Now you can rest, noon is fast approaching and I think it would be best if I start preparing lunch for us."

Fearow called out with an excited "Row" as he flew off a small distance to rest. Ash started the preparations for lunch, and Pidgeotto, Charmeleon and Dragonair came back one by, all tired from their training. Ash soon laid out food for himself and his Pokémon, and the five of them dove into the food with much gusto. After lunch was over, Ash returned them to his Pokeball, and set out for to continue his journey.

On the way, as Ash neared Viridian City, he encountered many Pokémon trainers, most of them being bug catchers. Ash battled his way through the Route, decimating most of the trainers and earning a fair bit of money for himself. Rarely did someone challenge him, though Fearow and Charmeleon did not allow Ash to taste defeat. Though the Ketchums were not poor, they also did not have excess, and as such, the money was a nice reward for Ash. He also made Fearow and Pidgeotto battle the most, as he did not have much experience with them and got himself acquainted with their strengths and weaknesses.

Soon, the glow of the sun started to die down. Ash found himself camping near a large river, a bit removed from the road. He released his friends, before setting up camp. His Pokémon, who had come out alert expecting a fight, relaxed when they saw Ash setting up camp. Once Ash had set up his camp, he took a Super Rod from his pack, and turning to his Pokémon, he said, "Well guys, I am going to go fishing so that we can get a new friend. All of you, to the river."Ash led them towards the shore of the river, as he let his rod into the water.

After a few moments, a he felt a powerful tug on his line. He pulled with all his force, and a large Magikarp, nearly 1 and a ½ times the size of a normal one, came out of the river. As soon as it landed on shore, the water type Pokémon started wiggling towards water. But it was stopped when Dragonair fired of a Thunder Wave on Ash's order. The Magikarp looked to be in pain, but managed to avoid Paralysis. It tried to tackle Dragonair, but the serpentine Pokémon barely even felt it, before she fired off a powerful thunderbolt. The water type looked ready to drop after the two powerful electric type attacks, but it refused to surrender, and tackling Dragonair, performed Thrash. Though not a very strong move, it stung the large Dragon Pokémon, and in her fury, she fired off a powerful thunderbolt attack at the Magikarp again.

Ash threw put a Pokeball to capture the Pokémon and soon, the Pokeball dinged signifying a successful capture. He prepared some berry and a potion to heal his newest Pokémon, before releasing it. He applied the potion, and though the Magikarp flopped around due to the stinging sensation, it calmed down when the pain faded. Ash slowly fed it the berries he had prepared, and slowly, it regained its energy. After it had become healthy, Ash scooped it in his arms and released it in the river. The Magikarp floated on the surface, and Ash smiled at this, before saying, "Hey Magikarp, I am Ash, your new trainer. I want to be the strongest Pokémon trainer. I will train you and help you become a powerful Gyarados. So, will you join me on my journey?"

The Magikarp's dull eyes lit up at the word Gyarados as it tried to show its acceptance by repeating its name over and over. Ash again smiled at the acceptance from his newest team member, before pointed Dexter at his Magikarp, and asked him to scan it.

_Magikarp, this Pokémon, though not very bright, is very hardy and can survive in any type of water._

_This Magikarp is a male_

_Ability-Swift Swim_

_Hidden Ability- Torrent_

_Known Moves- Tackle, Splash, Thrash and Bounce_

Ash smiled over his newest Pokémon, and said, "Wow Magikarp, you must be quite special to know both Thrash and Bounce; I don't think Magikarp's are able to learn that naturally. Now you can rest, I am returning you to your Pokeball." Magikarp called out a last "Karp" before he was recalled by the Pokeball. Ash returned to his campsite, his other Pokémon following him. He set about preparing dinner for himself and his Pokémon, and soon, they were all sleeping under the open sky, with the sole exception of Magikarp.

The next day, Ash woke up early and found himself surrounded by hi Pokémon. He slowly roused them, before preparing their breakfasts. He even released Magikarp, who flopped on the dry land, and fed him a few berries. After everyone had eaten his/her breakfast, Ash set them for training. Dragonair was instructed o continue her earlier training, but she was paired with Charmeleon, who instead of simply firing fire blasts, will try to hit Dragonair, and Dragonair will try to avoid them in air. Ash had noticed that Charmeleon's power was slowly increasing, and knew that practicing powerful moves will only add to the power and fast track his growth.

He set up Fearow to practice his Aerial Ace to strengthen it and reduce its charge time, where as he instructed Pidgeotto to start learning Air Slash. He showed Pidgeotto how it is done by asking Fearow to do it, before he gave her some tips and instructions on learning the move. Finally, he released his Magikarp the river. The water type gurgled happily in his home. Ash squatted down so that he was within Magikarp's hearing, and said, "Ok Magikarp, I cannot train you in any new moves till you evolve, so I believe that you should get in some battle experience so that you can evolve. So are you ready?" Ash laughed when his Magikarp simply gurgled in reply.

For the next couple of hours, all of Ash's Pokémon had run to the ground. Charmeleon had become tied of firing the strong fire type attack again and again, though he had managed to hit Dragonair only once or twice, where as Dragonair was also tired after flying for such long time while dodging powerful blasts of fire. The two burns that she had suffered burned painfully, though she managed to keep training besides the pain.

Fearow had managed to shorten the time required to charge Aerial Ace by half, where as constant practice had also increased its power, though barely noticeable. He was feeling tired, but the promise of power made him keep going. Finally, Pidgeotto was trying to perform Air Slash properly, having created only two blades of energy in contrast to the flurry of blades formed by the experienced users. Finally, Ash had made Magikarp fight with the other Magikarp, Goldeen, Staryu and even some Caterpie and Rattata so that he can gain some experience in battling. Though Magikarp was winning all of the battles, it was still exhausting for him.

Three hours after training began, Ash called off his Pokémon. Everyone, including Charmeleon and Dragonair were thankful for the rest. Ash had also cooked their lunch in the meantime, and everyone gobbled up their food in a hurry. After everyone had partaken his/her food, Ash returner Magikarp to his ball, before asking the rest of his Pokémon, "Ok, now that we are all fed and watered, we can start with our journey back to Viridian City. We are already very close to the city, and can reach it within a few hours. So who wants to remain outside their balls?" He was met with three indifferent looks, as Pidgeotto was the only one who was interested to stay outside. Ash returned his other friends, before walking on to the road and setting off towards the Viridian City.

**Finally, the fourth chapter is over. If anyone of you have any criticisms, praises, suggestions or questions, review them and I will try to answer them as best as I can.**

**Some of you might be unhappy that I gave Magikarp Bounce and Thrash as moves, but really, for a Pokémon which evolves into Gyarados, only Splash and ounce as the moves is incredibly dumb. So I hope you will understand my point. Besides, Magikarp will need to gain some experience to evolve, and this was my way of making him able to gain that experience.**

**The Myth Writer signing off.**


End file.
